St Manuel Asylum
by LavLongLoveFin
Summary: Toothiana is rumored to be mad. And nobody doubts it, seeing as she lives in Burgess' own asylum. But Doctor Black doesn have questionable 'treatment' methods for her and his other patients. Maybe it's time for some fresh blood to step in... And Doctor Frost seems perfectly qualified. AU
1. Welcome to Hell

They say she's mad.

The girl who is only talked about in hushed whispers outside of her 'prison'. She's only eighteen, one may whisper to another. Not even Doctor Black would talk about his patients when he happened to venture into town for an errand every so often. Surely that was a sign something was very wrong up on Sycamore lane in the small town of Burgess.

And so, the townspeople stayed away from the rather intimidating mansion on the edge of town. Some would tell you it was an area the sun never graced with its presence, unable to penetrate the barred windows of St. Manuel Asylum. But the patients there were a testament that it was a lie the paranoid created to keep their children from there. It didn't stop the older ones from visiting however, and they only came back with stories worse than what most had imagined.

They weren't true of course. None of the stories that were brought back and spread to those who would listen held any truth. Doctor Black made sure of that whenever they stopped by to see for themselves. Bribes always seemed to suffice for the youth.

Toothiana gripped the windowsill until her knuckles turned white with the continued pressure. And although she stared out at the lawn, long overtaken by weeds in most areas that she could see, her eyes were unseeing of the world in front of her. She knelt on her bed, the sun warming her face as it broke through the clouds every so often. She'd tell whoever would listen that the sun came out just to say hello to her and the others.

Instead of what would be considered at least a decent view of Burgess by most- with the forest splayed out before her and the commercial district visible. No, instead she envisioned a huge palace where the walls were inlaid with gold and murals were around each corner, each picture depicting a different story of a feathered woman.

The turning of the door handle caught her attention, and as she twisted her upper body to face the door on the other side of the small room, she didn't see the cold concrete walls but instead light pink and purple stones that had crystals inlaid, each one catching the light and refracting it.

As the handle of the door turned, her eyes became fixated on the simple a metal- a bright gold from her view. And when the door was pushed open, she jumped off the bed and hit the ground running, her arms held close to her chest. A visitor perhaps? The mere thought sent a thrill running through her. But the figure that stepped through the door frame stopped her dead in her tracks.

His pale skin seemed to steal the ink from his black coat, the black threads seeming to swirl on his skin like ink until his skin appeared grey. But that smile- a shudder ran through her petite body. Even as lucid as she was, the way his lips parted into an ugly smile was recognizable to her.

"Hello, Miss Toothiana." he stepped inside the room, shutting the door behind him and turning a key in the lock. The click that signaled the lock shifting into place was almost deafening in the silence that hung between the doctor and his patient. The glare she fixed on him was more than enough that if a stranger was to walk in, her feelings for the doctor were clear.

Even her eyes, usually such a calming violet seemed to be filled with a suppressed anger, appearing as if they were on fire. It would be unreasonable for the Tooth Fairy herself to attack someone of course, she had to remind herself as he stepped towards her. And although she was itching to take a look at his teeth, it had been so long since she had after all, but the physical scars on her otherwise smooth stomach reminded her not to push the constricting boundaries he had set when she was first put into his care.

"Now Toothiana, don't be that way. Your medication helps you." His voice was smooth, but settled over her like a blanket of ice, her heart rate increasing. She curled her knees up to her chest in a vain act of protection. His help wasn't needed. It hurt... Help shouldn't hurt like his did, right?

"Ah!" A gasp of pain escaped from her lips when she felt cold metal sliding into the soft skin on her forearm.

She could feel him moving the needle around under her skin as he tried to find a vein. Doctor Black's cold fingers wrapped around her wrist to keep her still as Toothiana tried to squirm away from his grip and the needle. Biting her lip to stifle her pained cries, she told herself she had to stay strong for her subjects. Crying was no way for a queen to act in front of those who looked up to her. Each of them lined up across from her, watching patiently from her desk. One of the origami swans fell over.

Her veins ran cold as the medicine was pushed into her system, the needle having found a target and his finger pressing down on the plunger and administering the medicine. A shiver ran through her petite frame as Black pulled out the syringe, capping off the needle and giving her an appraising once over with his hard eyes gliding over her figure as she shook. Her arms had fallen limp to her side, and her head rested against the wall as her eyes slid shut. And then her palace vanished.

Toothiana awoke an hour or so later, the passage of time marked only by the suns new position in the sky. Moving a hand to her aching neck, she rubbed her fingers in small circles to rub out several kinks that had formed when her head rested at such an odd angle. She had to blink several times to confirm what her eyes and mind told her but her heart refused to believe. But it was true. Black had taken her polished floors away and given her cold concrete floors in its stead.

Her lips set in a grim line; she stood up and stretched her arms up and over her head, her fingers reaching for the ceiling. She was much too short to actually touch it, and the feeling of flight that had been with her earlier was gone and replaced with the feeling of emptiness, that a cloud had descended on her. Every step she took towards the door as if she was stepping on eggshells.

Toothiana peered out her window after staring at the wall across from her for a few moments, mentally pushing herself to move. She didn't remember it taking this much effort. Letting out a sigh, she pushed open the window and peered outside, the ground that had weeds and thorns almost everywhere you looked even seemed more inviting than her cold prison. Glancing back at the door, she swung one leg over the windowsill and dropped to the ground.

Her toes wiggled in the dirt, and she relished the feeling of being free for just a few moments, even if she was still technically on asylum property. Kneeling down by the building, she ran her fingers through the long grass and a small smile graced her lips as her fingers brushed over a feather on the ground. She picked it up, holding it to the sun and letting the light filter through as she admired the intricate pattern on the small brown and tan feather. Although plain, it pleased her with the way it still held such simple beauty.

Tilting her head to the side, she wrapped a strand of her chocolate brown hair that was cut in a uniform bob around the feather. It hung against her head, and a thrill ran through her. It was against the rules, obviously. But oh, it was so nice...

"Miss Toothiana!" Her body immediately tensed as she heard Doctor Black call her name, the natural flight or fight instinct kicking in as she turned her head to look back, the direction in which the voice had come from. But already he was there, a tall dark figure against the fading blue sky. He wasted no time in reaching down and grabbing her forearm.

A/N: Thank you for taking the time to read, and I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! I hope some of you caught what I did with the asylum name... )

And there will be eventual Rainbow Snowcone/Frostbite~


	2. Birds

Jack Frost looked up from the directions sloppily written on the back of a business card- the writing in broken English and at times reverting to Russian entirely. Fresh out of school and already given the chance of a lifetime to intern at somewhere like an asylum- although he'd been warned against it, the experience was going to be well worth it.

But was this really the place? He did a double take at the address. The walls here were covered in a thick layer of crawling ivy, and the windows albeit large were blacked out in most cases. It was intimidating to say the least. But professor North wouldn't have sent him here if he didn't have faith in his abilities as a doctor... Right?

Steeling himself, he opened the wrought iron gate that stood between him and what looked like some kind of Hell on Earth. Jack's steps were filled with a confident kind of air however as he took the crumbling steps that led to the front door two at a time, never faltering. Until he got to the top. He hesitated for only a moment, bringing his hand to the lion headed knocker that was at eye level. Dropping it against the wooden door, it resounded with a thud.

Jack couldn't help but flinch as it interrupted the silence and a shriek rang out from somewhere within the house. And although he fidgeted with his the paper between his fingers, wrapping and unwrapping it around his index finger, Jackson didn't have to wait long for an answer. The door opened and soon afterwards Pitch's severe face poked out. The older man took his time to look over the younger who stood before him for inspection.

"Frost?" He asked eventually, his voice dry and almost hoarse. From disuse or yelling, Jack wasn't sure but both seemed equally likely.

"Doctor Frost, yeah." He couldn't get enough of that title. He smiled slightly, holding out his right hand in greeting. Which was promptly ignored. Pitch simply opened the door and ushered the young man inside. Looking down the bridge of his nose at the intern, Pitch conveyed exactly how he felt about the help without saying a word.

"Well I suppose you should meet the patients then after putting your bags away. I assume you will be staying here, correct?" Pitch didn't even wait for an answer as Jack answered with a nod and walked quickly to catch up with the other man who had turned and was already partway up the stairs that were directly to their right. The door shut behind them with a finalizing click as the lock slid into place.+

Jack's room was nice, albeit being in the attic. Small, and minimally finished but nice nonetheless. A window was on the far wall, overlooking the guardian along with a nice window seat that ran its length and offered more of a welcoming atmosphere. Though the other furnishings, or lack thereof, consisted of a merely a twin bed, wooden dresser, and nightstand. Not even a lamp.

Pitch didn't linger though, allowing enough time for Jack to drop his bags and take one last look before turning away and following the man back downstairs. He was taken through a whirlwind tour of the basic layout- bathrooms, kitchens, and the likes before being returned to the front of the mansion. Clasping his hands behind his back, Pitch turned away from Jack and looked down the hallway.

"I have matters to attend to, but you are free to explore and... Interact with the patients, if you will. But stay out of trouble, _please_." With that, he turned and walked down another flight of stairs, presumably leading to the basement. With that, Jack was at a loss. There were so many different things to do. Pack? Nah, that could be done later. Eat? No he had done that earlier before coming here.

A quiet song that seemed to come from around the corner caught his attention. It was out of place in this dreary setting, but a nice change. His feet moved without him even thinking much of it, and a few moments later he was standing in front of a closed door. The singing was coming from inside, slightly reminiscent of bells as it rang out into the hall. Hand resting on the handle, he turned the handle- surprised to find it open without a struggle. Odd.

Untamed chocolate brown hair was the first thing that caught Jack's eyes and pulled his attention. Small and nimble hands worked diligently to fold paper from a basic square into a complex bird. It slowly took shape, and the girl didn't seem not to notice Jack as he stood in the door frame. Quietly, so not to disturb her, he stepped fully inside and shut the door behind her. The click caused her to glance up from her work, almost freezing like a frightened animal.

"Oh, don't mind me. I'm Doctor Jackson O. Frost." The corner of his lips turned up into a smile as he walked beside the girl and knelt down, resting his forearms against the desk, reminiscent of a child. "But you can call me Jack." He couldn't help but notice the shiver that ran through her body at the mention of 'doctor', but her face betrayed no emotion but that of polite interest. Her gaze seemed to linger on his lips however- or more precisely his teeth he noticed. Peculiar.

"My name's Toothiana." She nodded her head towards him, smiling slightly in return. Her voice was quiet and hoarse, and Jack had to lean in to catch her words. But his light spirit was almost infectious, and a nice change to her usual and dreary routine. The medicine Pitch had put in her lasted up to a week, and it had only been a few days since the last dosage. Reality was crueler than she remembered, and this so called doctor was a nice change of pace.

"It's nice to meet you, Tooth. Can I call you that?" He asked her, taking a piece of paper from her desk and folding it the same way she had- having picked it up after a while of watching her. She nodded in return, one hand moving to her hair and pushing a scraggly feather back into place that had shifted from the sudden movement. "Do you like birds?" Jack asked her, looking from the origami swans to the pale feather.

"I love them." Toothiana replied, glancing out the window. She was still rather elated from the nickname he had given her and it showed in the way she bounced slightly in her seat without realizing- she had never had one of those novelty things before. But she tried to remain impassive, with the exception of a keen smile she directed towards him with a wistful sigh. The birds were so free to do whatever they liked it seemed. Go wherever, whenever. What a thing that would be.

"They say that if you fold a thousand paper cranes that your wish comes true." It was a novel concept, but it was something she could hold onto during the dark days without her palace, when she was forced to hid the bruises under her white blouse and thin pants, lest someone find out and tell Pitch. Surely he'd just make the pain even worse. "It's a nice thing, don't you think?"

Jack nodded, folding one after the other in silence until he had finished a row of almost ten. Taking one from the table, he flapped it's wings, by pulling the movable tail, and threw it towards the girl, letting it hit her head and tumble to the ground. Eyes widening in surprise, she picked it up from the ground and held it up for inspection. Satisfied that it was fine, she set it on the table and looked over to where Jack was kneeling.

"What are you doing here?" She asked him, reaching over and taking the finished crane from him.

"I'm working with Pitch as the new doctor- lovely room in the attic." His tone was light, but the mention of doctor once again caused her to shift away from him- a subtle movement but one he noticed nonetheless.

"Frost?" A sharp voice was heard down the hall, advancing ever closer. Doctor Black peered his head into the room, a sneer finding a home on his features. "Please, do not consort with the patients at this time. She is always in a rather... Fragile state of mind before recieving her medication." He paused, mulling something over but what was any one persons guess. "Perhaps you would like to see the others while I tend to her?"

Jack didn't didn't see any other option but to nod, smiling briefly at her as he stood and moved to leave. He didn't even notice the small hand wrapped in his shirt until he pulled away. Although she didn't say a word, her small body seemed to curl in on itself when he left the room. Leaving the professional to his work, the newest addition to the asylum headed further down the hall.

The loud thumping from three doors down which Jack had gone to investigate was enough to drown out the girls shrill screams as the needle pierced her skin one more.


End file.
